Tigers spearhead Tom Lynch has allayed any fears he will miss a sizable portion of the pre-season, claiming he was making positive strides with his injured foot.
Lynch featured on just four occasions for Richmond throughout the 2023 season, with the dual premiership player injuring his foot during the Tigers' Round 4 loss to the Western Bulldogs in early April.
And while Punt Road powerbrokers initially held out hope the former Sun would be back on-field after the bye, medicos drew a line through Lynch's season in July, with the Jack Dyer medallist swiftly booked in for surgery.
Four months on from going under the knife, Lynch is no longer in a moon boot, and though he is yet to commence running, the 31-year-old told 3AW he was feeling happy with where he was at.
"It's clearly been a slow build up and I'm not running yet," Lynch said.
"In another 3 to 4 weeks, I'll start on the AlterG (treadmill) and progress from there. It's really positive right now."
With veteran forward Jack Riewoldt calling time on his days at Tigerland, a fit and firing Lynch will be imperative to first-year coach Adem Yze's plans, especially considering the lack of experience beneath him.
In the wake of Riewoldt's departure and Kaelen Bradtke's delisting, Richmond is only armed with a sole key forward outside of Lynch, coming in the form of freshly acquired ex-Hawk Jacob Koschitzke.
The cousin of former Saint Justin became a Tiger during the recently concluded traded period, with Richmond sending Pick 49 to Waverley Park in order to secure the 23-year-old's signature.
At present, the Tigers are currently armed with the 29th, 41st, 65th, 68th and 86th selections ahead of this month's National Draft.
